Noun
Many considered him a foe of democracy.
Her ability was acknowledged by friend and foe alike.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But French citizens were drawn to the cause of American independence and Louis XVI was drawn to an opportunity to strike at France’s traditional foes in Britain.—TIME, 2 July 2024 This henchman puts up one hell of a fight and serves as a formidable foe against both Chan and Tucker.—EW.com, 29 June 2024 Its foes are no longer corrupt and incompetent Arab regimes, but rather an array of non-state actors – from Hezbollah to Hamas to Islamic Jihad to the Houthis to militias in Iraq and Syria – in addition to Iran itself.—Ben Wedeman, CNN, 27 June 2024 Some leaders in the fossil fuel industry, a frequent foe of the Biden administration, have urged Trump to again shrink the EPA in a second term.—Maxine Joselow, Washington Post, 27 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for foe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English fo, from Old English fāh, from fāh, adjective, hostile; akin to Old High German gifēh hostile
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of foe was
before the 12th century
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